Bacteria won’t stop drag boat races

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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City said the Drag Boat races on the Oklahoma River are on for this weekend.

Officials were concerned after another event had to be moved because of high levels of bacteria.

In 2009, around 45 triathletes got sick after the swim portion.

Last weekend the Oklahoma River was to be the site of the College Wakeboarding National Championships.

After high levels of bacteria were found, the event was moved to Guthrie.

Oklahoma City Spokesperson Kristy Yager said heavy rain causes problems because of the run-off.

"The primary reason bacteria gets into the Oklahoma river is from cows and other animals living on the tributaries of the Oklahoma River, the North Canadian. The river is several hundred miles long so there's a lot that washes into the rivers after a long rain."

Yager said the elevated levels were back to normal by Sunday.

She said it doesn't look like there will be any problems for this upcoming weekend's events.